List of Emberverse Characters - Portland Protective Association (PPA)

Portland Protective Association (PPA)

• Norman Arminger: The megalomaniac Lord Protector of the Portland Protective Association. Before the Change he was a history professor and member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. He built the PPA with members from the Society and various gang leaders of Portland. He has been labeled a sociopath and can be cruel to both his enemies and his own people, having reintroduced slavery into North America. It has been assumed by others that Norman sees everything he does as a game and nothing is actually real to him. In spite of his faults his actions allowed hundreds of thousands of people in Oregon survive the events after the Change. He is husband to Sandra and father to Mathilda. He was killed by Mike Havel in a duel.
• Sandra Arminger: Wife to Norman and mother to Mathilda and Regent of the PPA. She is the brains behind her husband’s brawn. She is usually a voice of reason among the PPA, but has shown to be just as cruel, if not more so, than her husband. She is highly protective of her daughter, but at the same time not ashamed to arrange for ways to manipulate her into marrying the right husband. She created a group of household soldiers out of orphans that Tiphaine was a part of. She is fond of Rudi and has created a good working relationship with Juniper, even though neither would call themselves friends.
• Mathilda Arminger: The daughter of Norman and Sandra and heir to the throne of the PPA, which she will inherit on her 26th birthday. She is currently traveling with Rudi on his quest to Nantucket. Mathilda is sometimes ashamed of her father, rationalizing the evil he did as being necessary. She sometimes worries she will make the same mistakes as Lord Protector. She is good friends with Rudi, a relationship that began when she was held captive by the Mackenzies. Though both seem to show deeper feelings for each other beyond friendship, despite their different religions and positions as heirs to their parents, she becomes betrothed to Rudi in the events of The Sword of the Lady
• Conrad Renfrew: The Count of Odell, formerly commander of the PPA military and current Lord Chancellor to Regent Arminger. He is recognized by his heavily scarred face. Conrad was a friend of Norman before the Change and was his earliest supporter even coming up with the title Lord Protector. He may have been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, but he refuses to talk about those years, causing some to even doubt if Conrad is his real name. He tends to be less bloodthirsty than Norman and openly disagrees with him if he feels he is wrong. He has a humorous side, once playing a prank on Norman by making him think the Change had been reversed. He personally trained Tiphaine to be his successor, but often argues with her on whether the PPA should adopt pikes.
• Eddie Liu: A former gangbanger who moved up quickly in the ranks of the PPA to become the Baron of Gervais. Eddie had a grudge against Juniper who killed his friend while they were looting a store in Corvallis shortly after the Change. For a time he acted as Norman’s agent when dealing with warlords like Duke Iron Rod before being promoted to command the defenses of the PPA’s southern border. He was killed attempting to retrieve of book of secret codes that was accidentally given to Rudi. He is father to Odard Liu and husband of Lady Mary Liu, who is regent of Barony Gervais after her husband's death.
• Odard Liu: The son of Eddie Liu and Baron of Gervais in the PPA. Odard is a highly ambitious man who spends time with Mathilda in hopes they will be married and he could then become Lord Protector and that is why he accompanied her on Rudi’s quest to Nantucket. Regardless of his ambitions he has shown romantic feelings toward Mathilda and has created a reluctant friendship with his rival Rudi. Odard also has problems with his mother, Lady Mary, who is constantly undermining his authority as a baron. He is killed in battle with Moorish corsairs shortly before Rudi's group reaches Nantucket.
• Mack: A former gangbanger and bodyguard to Eddie. Mack is recognized by his huge size and the large war hammer he carries. He preferred to allow Eddie to all of the talking. He dies defending Eddie.
• Tiphaine d'Ath: Formerly an assassin for Sandra, she now commands the entire PPA military force. A teenager at the moment of the Change, she became sponsored by Sandra after she successfully snuck into the bedroom she shared with Norman asking for a job. She has a grudge against Astrid for killing her lover, but later forgives her though she still intensely dislikes her. She kidnapped Rudi once and became very fond of the boy, risking almost certain death to defend him against assassins sent by Norman. She mentions that her style of leadership involves killing anyone who disagrees with her. As a lesbian she is forced to keep her sexual orientation secret from the conservative Catholic state of the PPA, though most of those in power know and don’t care.
• Alex: Is a servant/bodyguard to Odard and joined him on Rudi’s quest to Nantucket. Alex is very loyal to Odard’s mother, seeing her as the reason he and his family survived the Change. He is under orders from her to protect Odard at all costs. He turned Mathilda and Odard over to CUT soldiers in order to prevent Odard from possibly dying in a battle.
• Duke Iron Rod: A former biker who led his gang to take over a convent in Idaho after the Change. For a short time he was allied with the PPA. His gang was defeated by the Bearkillers and he was executed by hanging for his crimes.
• Lady Mary Liu: Lord Odard's mother and Eddie's widow, Dowager Baroness of Gervais. A friend of Norman and Sandra from before the Change, and a member of the SCA, she has come to guard her noble privileges excessively. Although she is Sandra's friend, Sandra is often suspicious of Mary's motives. Mary convinces Odard's manservant Alex to protect Odard at whatever cost, despite Odard being his feudal lord. Mary has undercover dealings with the CUT.
• Deliah: A maid and closet both lesbian and Wiccan, becomes the de facto wife of Tiphaine and de jure wife of Rigoberte, Baron Forest Grove and Marchwarden of the South. Known for her sense of fashion, she becomes a member of Sandra's inner circle.
• Rigoberte: A junior intelligence agent before the Change, Rigoberte becomes one of Sandra's "Sailor Moon" squad of commandos, rising to the rank of Baron Forest Grove and Marchwarden of the South. A closet homosexual, his "marriage" to Deliah provides cover to both him and Tiphaine in the homophobic environment of the PPA, developing into one of Tiphaine's few close friendships. Serves as Tiphaine's executive officer in the Walla Walla campaign.